Earth Day: Help with $1, a pair of shoes ...

Who would have thought that a simple pair of flip-flops could save lives?

To the Editor:

Who would have thought that a simple pair of flip-flops could save lives?

Each year thousands of individuals in Africa die from hookworms because they do not own a pair of shoes. Each year millions of shoes in our closets end up in landfills. What can you do? Partner with us as we plant the seeds of change in our community.

For the last two years, the Earth Day festival in Oak Ridge has collected more than 15,000 pairs of shoes for Soles4Souls, a shoe charity based in Nashville. With the help of area schools, businesses, churches and individuals we have made a difference in the lives of those without footwear, and in our communities.

Our festival is not only offering opportunities to young and old alike, but providing them with the tools to be an agent of change.

We will once again be partnering with the Oak Ridge schools and the Tennessee Coordinated Health program to bring the Green Mile Race for Kids. Our friends at the Anderson County Health Department and the Knoxville Regional Transportation Bike program will be hosting a bike rodeo to educate young riders how to have fun, but be safe. Anderson County Solid Waste Management and the Environmental Quality Advisory Board (EQAB) will be offering citizens a chance to recycle a variety of items. The Smoky Mountain Dock Dogs Diving competition will be held on site that weekend bringing in more than 75 competitors nationwide.

As for kids, we have Global Guy taking them through the site encouraging them to learn more about their environment and ways to reduce their impact. The Children's Museum of Oak Ridge will be hosting the Trashformation Exhibit, as well as creating an alley full of interactive hands on art using nature as the medium. In addition, we will have more than 100 exhibitors/vendors sharing their knowledge and gifts.

The folks at Earth Day strive to keep the festival fresh and this year is no different! We are hosting a benefit concert for Soles4Souls to offset the costs of cleaning and shipping the shoes we collect for them. The concert will feature local talent, as well as showcase the winner from the Oak Ridge Youth Advisory Board's teenage Battle of the Bands.

One of our main goals is to get individuals outside enjoying nature. Our young kids now spend more time in a technological playground then they do enjoying nature's playground. We will be hosting a geocaching treasure hunt on the greenway trails in and around Oak Ridge. We will offer prizes and badges to those who attempt to locate the clues.

So you see, your involvement in our event allows us to make all this happen. Without you those shoes would never reach the shores of Africa, that child would never run the race, get a free bicycle helmet, learn ways to reduce or recycle their waste. Without you, none of this is possible! We know times are hard and budgets are tight, but never underestimate the power of one — whether it be one dollar, one donated item or one person donating their time.

Linda Johnston

Earth Day 2013

chairwoman

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